Monthly Archives: July 2016

Ever made a decision to buy a new car to all of a sudden see a number of them driving around? Ever gone shopping for clothes, only to walk in and out of shops declaring ‘there’s nothing around’? It’s ok, you’re not going mad & I promise you that they were always there – it’s your brain playing tricks on you called the frequency illusion or the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. Don’t worry, you don’t need to see a doctor, but I am going to tell you how to maximise it in your business.

What happens is that your brain loves that you've learned something new (be it making a decision to buy a car, having a new belief etc), and selective attention occurs (think of kids and TV or chocolate). Your brain decides, "Hey, so that’s what we think now! I want more of that & I'm going to keep looking for that thing, because we liked it." So no surprise that you keep seeing that thing (or stuff to remind you of that thing), over and OVER and OVER again! Just to nail it all home a little thing called, confirmation bias kicks in after seeing it even once or twice. In other words, you start agreeing with yourself that, yup, you're definitely seeing it more so it must be true/popular/meant to be! [source: Pacific Standard]

So how can you make brain bias work for your business?

Surround yourself with success

Ok, so you’re going to see more success when you look for it. Here’s the thing, you need to remind yourself of the success you’ve had and the gains you’ve made to reinforce your ability to achieve more.

Associate with people who will encourage you to achieve more. Successful people love to celebrate success. They love the way it makes them feel. It gives them a little punch of confirmation bias. By associating with successful people you will see success, you will be celebrated in your success, and even if it’s a case of FOMO – you will strive to succeed. The best thing is that you will be in the company of people who aren’t afraid of success and who value it.

Don’t have a group, or need to move to a higher group – read success stories. Learn from them. Read from people in your industry who have succeeded, read from those you admire who succeed, read about those who have overcome trials to succeed.

Fake it until you make it

Let’s make the most of the confirmation bias and kick it up a notch. FAKE THE SHIT OUT OF SUCCESS. Now I don’t mean going into debt to look like you’re successful, I mean vision board, journal, affirmation, meditate, do whatever it is to shift that mindset of yours to see that you are successful.

Journal when you have been successful and what you have learnt. Write a letter to your 18 year old self encouraging them. Plot your income out for the coming 10 years and plot your achievement against it. Above all, know that you will have the success you plan and work for.

Please just don’t…

Don’t stress if things go downhill a little. Just jump that hurdle and get back into it. Plot your success, revise your achievements, acknowledge your wins and GET BACK IN THERE!

Don’t get caught up in the ‘chicken little’ thinking of the sky falling. You will read so many things saying that X is doom & Y is gloom. If you’re proving them wrong, keep at it. Prove them wrong. If it’s in your plan and you can see success through it – blast the crap out of it. Seriously, even my opinion is just that, opinion. (While a lot is based in science, there is always room for personal differences)

So, if you believe you ARE (not will) successful, you act successful, you show you are successful, your brain will find more ways to show you that success.

If you believe clients are coming in, you can show clients are coming in, your brain will show you where they are & how they are rolling in.

If you believe your bank balance is growing, you’re watching & tracking its growth, your brain will show you new ways and places it can grow.

Tip the scales in your favour and make that brain bias work for you and achieve the amazing things you always knew you were going to.